Construction & Building

NEWS - Construction & Building

Savannah, GA – The Construction Apprentice Program will be recruiting in August for training programs open to men and women interested in gaining construction skills for jobs in the field.

The training, which leads to a Technical Certificate of Credit in Concrete Forming/Carpentry or Masonry, is free to adults (18 years and older) through a partnership among Chatham County, Savannah Technical College, and Step Up Savannah, Inc. There is no cost to participants for training, books or equipment.

The program includes assistance with job search for successful graduates.

To find out how to register, and to learn more about CAP, interested individuals must attend one of these information sessions:

3 p.m., Aug. 16                  W.W. Law Center, 900 E. Bolton St.

3 p.m., Aug. 17                  St. Pius X Resource Center, 705 E. Anderson St.

11 a.m., Aug. 18                W.W. Law Center, 900 E. Bolton St.

And 3 p.m.                          St. Mary’s Community Center, 812 W. 36^th St.

For more information about CAP and these training sessions call Tara Sinclair, program manager, at (912) 604-9574.

NEWS - Construction & Building

By Lou Phelps
SBJ Staff

The Chatham County Commission celebrated the opening of a new Animal Control Facility last Friday at 7211 Sallie Mood Dr., designed by Lott+Barber of Savannah and built by Artley Company of Sylvania.

The state-of-the-art facility has a total of 12,733 square feet with a 4,589 square-foot administration building connected to approximately 8,144 square feet of kennel space. The total cost to design, construct and equip both buildings including furnishings, was $2.5 million, according to Chatham County Commission Chairman Pete Liakakis.

“The new facility heralds a new era of animal welfare in our community,” Liakakis said. “It shows the county’s commitment to animal welfare when the county commission placed this project as a high priority to replace the antiquated structure and dilapidated shelter with one of the best facilities of its type in the nation.”

In discussing the project, Liakakis focused on the kennel areas, which will house stray dogs. Each of the 116 kennels provides for the humane treatment of stray dogs, including a dog run, automatic water feeder, stainless food bowl, pull-down bed, and waste collection system. He noted that dogs can be segregated for intake, daily care and aggressiveness. A separate area serves as holding pens for cats.

“I remain hopeful that the adoption and educational programs get the message out about the need for responsible pet ownership,” he said. “Let’s hope it never becomes necessary, but the flexible design as adapted to the site allows for doubling the number of kennel areas based on future needs.”

Besides the improved conditions for rescued dogs and cats, the facility also provides for more efficiency and safety in their handling as well as a new crematorium for sanitary disposal when the need arises, he said.
Liakakis also highlighted the facility’s other features, including:
• Outdoor exercise areas to ensure play time and provide an area for dogs to interact for possible adoption.
• Dogs can be bathed in dedicated wash areas.
• A waste collection system that will help to improve sanitary conditions.

Liakakis said the facility also includes plans to increase awareness about responsible pet ownership and to encourage adoptions of spayed and neutered pets in hopes that the annual euthanasia of some 4,000 dogs and cats will become significantly curtailed.

“Our goal should be to encourage adoptions and promote spaying and neutering,” he said. “Nothing would please us more than to see the euthanasia numbers decrease.”

The new facility took advantage of the site where the former hodge-podge arrangement of trailers and antiquated shelter stood since the 1960s. It provided only basic conditions with 38 cages, and the facility could not adequately handle basic requirements of waste disposal and cleaning.

Before the new facility could be constructed, the county cleared the site by demolishing two aged warehouses, a project which included first relocating irreplaceable county records to an acquired records center.

“The use of the existing site caused some coordination problems because the old shelter needed to remain open and accessible,” he said. “The location on Sallie Mood still proved an advantage because it saved the cost of land acquisition, everyone knows its location and the parcel met all requirements for available utilities, paved access and future expansion.”

The architectural firm of Lott+Barber completed the design, which a citizens committee helped to develop. The design team included representatives from animal welfare agencies, law enforcement, Commissioner Helen Stone (a former Humane Society President) and county staff.

Artley Company of Sylvania, owned by Jimmy Artley, completed the construction which took about a year to build. The firm has been building in the greater Savannah area since 1901.

Other recent construction projects in the Savannah area include the Day Care Center at Savannah Christian Preparatory School, Fire Station #7 for the City of Savannah, the Southside Fire Station across from Lake Mayer and the Pooler Fire Station.

The Board of Commissioners funded the project through funds generated by a bond refinancing and its capital improvement plan, which becomes funded through savings in operating funds, according to Liakakis.

NEWS - Construction & Building

The following federal contracts were announced by federal agencies as having been awarded to companies operating in Coastal Georgia or Lowcountry area of South Carolina, or for federal services in the region:
• American Veterans Service, Fayetteville, N.C., won a $72,918 federal contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Ga., for electrician services at the engineer repair yard. Place of performance will be in Wilmington, N.C.
• Odyssey International Inc., Lancaster, Pa., won a $7,033,619 federal contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Ga., for the expansion and partial reconfiguration of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory. Place of performance will be in Atlanta.
• Orion Services Inc., Fayetteville, Ga., won a $789,669 federal contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Ga., for the construction of structures and facilities
• Tom Smith Fire Equipment Co. Inc., Dawsonville, Ga., won a $33,620.12 federal contract from the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Stewart, Ga., for personal protective equipment.
• MAS Consultants Inc., Aiken, S.C., won a $253,532.86 federal contract from the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC, Aiken, S.C., for the services of a field engineer to provide support to the assistant manager for operations, maintenance, construction and project oversight under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
• GSC Construction, Augusta, Ga., was awarded a $6,816,963 federal contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk, Va., for the construction of a single dinning facility. Place of performance will be in Fort Knox, Ky.
• Toland & Mizell Architects Inc., Atlanta, was awarded a $47,500,000 federal contract by the U.S. Air Force Reserve Center, Robbins Air Force Base, Ga., for architect and engineering services in support of the Air Force Reserve Command mission.
• Gulf Pacific Contracting, Bonifay, Fla., won a $253,425 federal contract from the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command, Warner Robins, Ga., for construction of ramps and canopies between Building 380 and 385.
• Force Protection Industries Inc., Ladson, S.C., won a $53,667.20 federal contract from the Defense Logistics Agency's Defense Supply Center, Columbus, Ohio, for radiator assemblies.
• Boeing Co., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., won a $1,173,207 federal contract from the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command, Warner Robins, Ga., for aircraft components and accessories.
• PAI Corp., Oak Ridge, Tenn., won a $325,593.60 federal contract from the U.S. Department of Energy, Aiken, S.C., for maintenance, construction and project oversight under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
• MGC Roofing & Construction Inc., Warner Robins, Ga., won a $50 million federal contract from the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Bragg, N.C., for the construction of structures and facilities. Place of performance will be at Fort Rucker, Ala.

NEWS - Construction & Building

By Emily Mathis
SBJ Staff Report

JULY 5, 2010 - Savannah Tech’s new three-story expansion on the north side of the campus, facing White Bluff Road, is progressing in the summer heat to meet the expected completion deadline of Dec.31, in time for January 2011 classes.

The project was originally slated for completion by January 2010.

The Savannah Technical College Foundation raised a portion of the funds for the project through various fundraising events, and philanthropy.

According to Gail Eubank, the new center will house health labs, new programs and the Student Enrichment Center. “With that building, we will open Sports Fitness Technology and Neuromuscular Massage Therapy,” programs, she explained.

Atlanta-based contractor RJ Griffin & Company snagged the bid for general contractor of the building, but a number of local Savannah businesses are being used as subcontractors and will find a profitable opportunity in the finished trade work needed on the building.

According to John Shea, the site’s superintendent for R.J. Griffin, Boykin Erecters from Jesup, a steel fabrication and industrial warehouse construction company, has been chosen and is currently doing the “red steel” work. And, other local businesses for “most of the finish trade, which will be needed later, will be local.”

The college’s current Student Enrichment Center is located in the Academic Commons Building, Room 228.

At the Foundation’s “Annual Tribute to Community Stars and Opportunity Gala,” this year, they raised more than $230,000 for the Savannah Technical College Foundation to fund projects such as the new center and scholarships.